By Sharon Lipford, LCSW-C | Senior Advisor for Behavioral Health Services
According to a September 2022 Forbes Magazine article, “in today’s increasingly complex, global marketplace, the ability to draw on a wide range of viewpoints, backgrounds, skills, experiences and expertise is invaluable. As a result, more and more companies are thinking about enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace.” Beyond the workplace, how does DEI apply to health care, and in particular behavioral health care?
Focus on Equity
According to the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, “Communities of color and other marginalized populations have historically been unserved, underserved, and inappropriately served by California’s mental health care system. Despite recent investments and progress made to provide Californians with coverage for mental health and substance use disorders, significant barriers to accessing care remain, including gaps in coverage, workforce adequacy (lack of diversity and shortages), affordability, and systemic discriminatory practices.”
According to Garen Staglin with Forbes, “there are striking disparities in access to mental health care in the U.S.: Asians are 51% less likely to use mental health services than whites, Latinos are 25% less likely, and Blacks are 21% less likely. There are a range of factors that contribute to these gaps, including stigma, discrimination, lack of coverage, and a shortage of providers, especially those from diverse backgrounds.”
Building an equitable, diverse, and inclusive behavioral health treatment system does not occur with a single initiative (such as staff training), but rather through a comprehensive, continuous, and committed process evolving over time. It necessitates creating and demonstrating a clear, transparent, progressive approach. It demands the engagement with diverse people who have lived behavioral health experiences, behavioral health leaders and community partners to highlight an DEI strategic approach. This approach includes establishing and maintaining partnerships that are mutually beneficial, supportive, and appropriate for mitigating social risks and addressing social needs of the community and individuals. It means helping individuals with social needs obtain access to resources and interventions by facilitating programs, services, and developing strategies that keep various identities and communities front of mind.
Start Now
Organizations should conduct reviews of patient experiences based on their specific identity (e.g., age; sexual orientation gender identity; race/ethnicity and social determinants of health); use quality metrics to guide reviews to improve experiences of patient populations; address patient barriers to care through policy review; include inclusive/nonbinary language; improve upon existing diversity/discrimination policies; and develop new DEI policies.
Equity, diversity and inclusion is about moving forward, together. The time is now!
Sharon Lipford, LCSW-C, is a senior advisor for behavioral health services at Renaye James Healthcare Advisors. Contact us to ask more about how your organization can move forward with DEI efforts.